This is a rheumatoid arthritis flare:
January 16, 2011
I woke up crying today.
It used to be that I could alleviate some of the pain by staying still…but today, the exact opposite seems to hold true.
It hurts to sit down. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to lay down. Pressing my forearms down on a tabletop, placing all of my weight ...
"Physical therapists, also known as physiotherapists, comprehensively assess RA patients in an ongoing manner. The evaluation of each patient includes an examination of affected joint flexibility, bony alignment/joint deformity, muscle strength, endurance, mobility, ambulatory status, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. It can be a delicate balance to enhance mobility and strength without fatiguing the patient or ...
I have about a dozen memories from a very young age that I'm able to recall with such clarity, that it almost feels like these events took place just a few minutes ago. One of them was having my first grade teacher read a story to the class, as she held up the book over her shoulder for everyone to ...
Earlier this year, during the midst of what has definitely been my worst flare ever, something interesting happened: I suddenly realized how much time, energy, money, and hope I was spending on my desire to make my pain go away. And even though I knew, firsthand, the ravaging effect that rheumatoid arthritis often had on my body, for the first ...
"RA Guy's website about living with rheumatoid arthritis is without a doubt the best RA website on the Internet. His posts about his personal journey through life with RA are thoughtful, life affirming, inspirational and down-to-earth. They're also reliably factual about the disease and the drugs that treat it. He's an excellent writer with a seemingly endless supply of post ...
A few days ago, I found myself standing directly in front of another major flare. I knew exactly what was in store for me; there was no way to avoid what was going to happen during the next hour or so.
A funny thing happened though. Instead of getting panicked, I decided to get prepared.
I told myself to latch onto something ...
My little corner of the world, down here in South America, is quite different from the United States (where I lived most of my life, up until eight years ago.)
First of all, it's very social. (We put Spain to shame, in my opinion.) Events can take place any night of the week, and when they do it's not uncommon for ...
To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total attachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness. -Erich Fromm
There are times when Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy can't help but feel like his body is dying on him. Sure, I know that a lot of the physical sensations can be chalked up to the ...
A few months ago, Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy was thrilled when the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society in the United Kingdom asked him if he would write an article for their upcoming magazine. Those of you who are NRAS members have more than likely already received your magazine in the mail...I mean, post. For the rest of us, I have included below ...
Over the past few weeks the invisible nature of my rheumatoid arthritis has slowly been slipping away, little by little. Anyone with an eye to detail could see the wrist guards and ankle protectors peeking out from underneath my clothing. (Who am I kidding? Even if they did not have an to eye detail, they could still see them.) When ...